65: Theodore

My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I paced the length of my hotel suite for what felt like the hundredth time, each step carrying the weight of my crown, my responsibility, and this new, raw ache that had carved itself into my chest since Emma disappeared. Three days of knowing her should not have left me this undone, and yet here I was, a king reduced to helpless pacing while somewhere in my city, my mate was in danger.

"They should have found something by now," I growled, running my fingers through my hair. The Golden Compass Hotel sprawled beneath my top-floor suite, and somewhere in its elegant expanse, the trail to Emma had gone cold.

Elijah Maxwell matched my agitation step for step on the opposite side of the room, his green eyes—so like his sister's—dark with worry. His shoulders hunched forward as if bearing the physical weight of his failure to protect her.

"The pack bond is there but..." Elijah's voice cracked. "It's muted. Like something's interfering."

I knew what that something was. Someone. Benjamin Thorne. My Lycan stirred, its purple-blue eyes gleaming with murderous intent behind my own.

"We have people checking every camera feed, taking statements from staff and guests," I said, more to reassure myself than Elijah. "Someone must have seen something."

"It's not enough!" Elijah slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a small dent in the plaster. In another time, in another situation, I might have reminded him this was royal property, but right now, I understood the need to break something.

The delicate bond that had begun forming between Emma and me hummed faintly, like a melody played from too far away. Our connection was new, tentative—three days wasn't enough time for a true mate bond to solidify. Not enough for me to track her through it alone.

My phone vibrated. Christian.

"Tell me you have something," I answered.

"Nothing yet. No sign of Alpha Thorne or the Queen on any exit cameras. We're expanding the search to the maintenance corridors now."

The bitter taste of failure flooded my mouth. "Work faster."

I hung up, meeting Elijah's desperate gaze. "They're still looking."

A beat of silence stretched between us.

Then Elijah froze.

The change was instantaneous—his body went rigid, eyes unfocused, staring at something beyond the physical room. His lips parted in a silent gasp.

"Emma!" he shouted, voice hoarse with emotion.

I was at his side in an instant, gripping his shoulder. "What is it? What do you see?"

Elijah's eyes had glazed over completely now, the green irises seeming almost translucent as the pack bond activated. I watched, barely breathing, as he tilted his head like he was listening to a distant voice.

"She's speaking through the mind link," he whispered. Then his voice changed, taking on the cadence of his sister's words: "Artemis is weak, I can't talk for long. I'm in a basement with Krea, Stavros, Bennett, Cassius, Benjamin Thorne and Michael Barker."

My blood turned to ice at the names—three of my own ministers among them. Stavros and Krea, the prejudiced traditionalists. Bennett, the last person I would have suspected. Cassius, a mid-level bureaucrat. And Michael Barker—an Alpha aligned with Thorne.

Elijah continued, voice growing fainter: "Benjamin wants to mark me again. To force Theo to snap so he can be forced out of his position. Please, find me."

The link broke. Elijah's eyes cleared, filling with a murderous rage that I felt mirrored in my own expression. His hands curled into claws at his sides, his Alpha aura flaring with primal fury.

"A basement," I said, already moving toward the door. "They have her in a basement."

My hands fumbled with my phone, no longer shaking with worry but with a cold, focused anger that narrowed my world to a single point: find Emma.

"Christian," I barked when he answered. "I need everything we have on Minister Stavros, Minister Bennett, Minister Krea, Lord Cassius, and Alpha Michael Barker. They're with Thorne. They have Emma in a basement somewhere in the building."

"Theo—"

"Now, Christian. They're trying to force a mark on her."

Even through the phone, I could hear his sharp intake of breath. Forced marking—a barbaric practice outlawed centuries ago. To attempt it on my mate, on the sister of an Alpha...

"I'm sending a team to you now. We'll pull up every blueprint of the building."

"Meet us in the security office," I said, already following Elijah into the hallway. "And Christian—bring warriors. Loyal ones."

We took the service elevator, too urgent for the measured pace required in the public areas of the hotel. My mind raced through the implications of what we'd learned. This wasn't just about Benjamin Thorne's obsession with Emma. This was a coordinated coup attempt, using her as the trigger to make me lose control.

The old laws were clear: a king who could not control his Lycan was unfit to rule. If I transformed in rage, attacked Thorne in front of witnesses—even to defend my mate—the Council could declare me unstable. And if they'd already planted allies on the Council itself...

The elevator doors opened to the administrative level where the hotel's security operations were housed. Christian was waiting, ashen-faced, with three of my most trusted guards.

"Theo, Alpha Maxwell." He led us into the monitoring room, where a dozen screens displayed feeds from throughout the hotel. "We're pulling up the staff-only areas now."

The security chief looked up from his console. "Sir, the hotel has three basement levels. The lowest is just storage, mostly unused since the renovation."

"Show me everything from the lobby level down," I ordered, bracing my hands on the edge of the desk. "Focus on the past three hours."